Class 5A Quarterfinals: The Prospects to KNOW
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Day 3 of Oklahoma’s State Tournament week brought Class 5A into the fold with morning and early afternoon games at Lloyd Noble Center. Headed into State Tournament Week, Class 5A looked to be the most wide open class, and it…
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Continue ReadingDay 3 of Oklahoma’s State Tournament week brought Class 5A into the fold with morning and early afternoon games at Lloyd Noble Center. Headed into State Tournament Week, Class 5A looked to be the most wide open class, and it lived up to the hype. With an overtime contest and two more games that were in doubt in the final minute.
Here’s a look at the prospects who shined under the bright lights.
9:00 AM
Del City 39
Crossings Christian 42 OT
10:30 AM
Edison 55
Booker T Washington 63
12:00 PM
Holland Hall 51
Carl Albert 57
1:30 PM
Midwest City 57
Collinsville 56
The sophomore continued his double double rampage through the 5A playoffs with a 10 points, 12 rebounds performance. Which include some big time rim protection on the defensive end, that was crucial to Crossings pulling off the overtime victory. Woodson putting on his hard hat down low has been the catalyst to big production games for him, and pushing Crossings a step closer to the team goal of a Gold Ball. The overall ceiling remains high, as he has the potential to grow into more skilled game. And this current version of Woodson is a great building block of a high impactful and productive prospect.
Furnish’s usual pinpoint three point shooting was off in the contest. So, the crafty junior guard found ways to finish around the rim and earn trips to the free throw line with 16 points. Impressively from a floor general standpoint, the box score indicated he was able to avoid turnovers against a quick and pressure Del City team. While valuing the ball, he handed out 3 assists with his outstanding vision and reading of the game. For Crossings to conquer a loaded Class 5A field, Furnish’s jumper will need to return to form. Which surely it will, as he’s been a clutch performer since his freshman year.
The senior was a mid-season addition to Del City. He was a huge boost in their State Tournament run, picking up not only primary ball handling responsibilities but also becoming their go to scorer. Early on in the contest, he was dialed in from beyond the arc. Hitting tough jumpers, putting the Eagles up after one. He cooled up from deep as the game progressed, but he’s strong and quick off the bounce. Finishing with 17 points.
Graham was once committed to Houston in football, but a coaching change there makes him an available recruit. While he still has football interest, the senior appears to be open to potentially continuing his career in basketball over football. Along with the scoring punch he provided for the Eagles, he is one of the top defensive guards in the Class of 2024. With winning experience, as before joining Del City he also guided OKC Southeast to back to back Class 5A State Tournaments. Graham should be a no brainer for regional JuCos looking to add toughness and two-way impact to their backcourt.
Last Friday, the freshman had some growing pains in the same match up. On Thursday morning, he bounced back with 12 points and grabbing 7 boards. Mitchell is already an impressive physical player with a strong frame. But what makes him impressive is the way he elevates with his build. It allows him to sky for those aforementioned rebounds, especially with a quality second jump ability.
An area to keep an eye on his development is his jumper. Following an early season wrist injury, his form has an hitch in it. For the freshman to fully unlock his scoring potential as he matures, he’ll need to get back to pre-injury form.
Booker T Washington plays fast and lives at the rim, which means the spacing the shooting provided by their two sophomore starters is crucial. Today it was Sanders stepping up, hitting big shots throughout the first half. Which helped the Hornets build a comfortable margin and a lead they would never relinquish in a wire to wire victory. The sophomore over his two varsity seasons has proven his worth as a three point threat, while having room to grow into a more complete scorer.
For regional programs looking for a defensive minded, athletic guard who has the wingspan plus grit to match up with taller wings, look no further than Johnson. The non stop energy and athleticism of the senior once again was made apparent with the way he attacked the offensive glass and forced turnovers on the defensive end. He was credited with five steals in the contest, and scored a game high 19 points. The Edison Eagle finished his career with back to back 5A State Tournament appearances, and one of the most productive players in the class, each year.
Highlights
23 points and 4 steals, via highlight reel steals and finishes. It’s the quickness and explosiveness on both ends of the court that separates him as a prospect. Hopkins and Carl Albert have been on a tear since January, and the high motor guard somehow found an new level today at Lloyd Noble Center. He went toe to toe with another of the best sophomores in the state, and won some reps with his quick hands and great defensive instincts. Then on the offensive end, he was a quick twitch blur when getting downhill. With some amazing finishing abilities thanks to his hang time, long arms and great touch around the rim.
Let’s go back to an October evaluation of Hopkins.
“By the time the state tournament rolls around, Hopkins will likely be regarded as one of the premier off the dribble attackers in Oklahoma.”rnBased on how he played today, that assessment might have been underselling the high ceiling of Hopkins. There’s potentially two more games to go for the lead guard, but there’s no doubt about the gifted abilities of Hopkins. Who is very much on a D1 level trajectory.
The elder Hopkins brother was a steady scorer throughout the contest. Where he elevated his game came on the defensive end, as while his brother was making highlight reel steals, Hopkins was a rim protector.
The starting point with Wilson is that the change of direction ability and suddenness that Wilson has at his size is rare among Oklahoma guards in recent years. He looks to have fully grown into his lanky frame, and is one of the most well rounded prospects in Oklahoma now. He scored 17 points, grabbed 7 boards, and handed out 4 assists. While he did have some issues with turnovers, the sheer upside of Wilson indicates that he has High Major in his ranges of outcomes. The last year has been a rocket ship for his abilities and production. If the next year matches that, he’ll have Holland Hall back in the Class 5A State Tournament. Along with loads of offers to his name.
Highlights
Another one of Oklahoma’s top available senior guards saw his prep career come to a close. He went out torching the nets at Lloyd Noble Center. Benton went 5 of 6 from three in the contest, with all the threes seemingly being loud, pivotal threes that would either drag Holland Hall back into it, or temporarily put them ahead. In that regard, the game was a fitting display of the impactful senior’s career. Benton is an outstanding shooter, while his height and frame make him a gritty contributor on both ends of the court with drives and gritty defense.
Highlights
Denson’s continual growth from a spot up specialist as a freshman, to a more complete scorer was once again on display. He was great in the mid-range, which was crucial for Midwest City against Collinsville’s imposing interior presence. The fast rising sophomore finished tied for a team high 19 points and really is coming into his own. His development provides more guard depth in Oklahoma’s strong class of 2026.
Highlights
As the tallest Bomber, Young was turned into a do it all weapon for the Bombers. He still had plenty of moments of his skilled guard play, complete with some nice vision on a couple feeds. Along with spots of his dynamic driving ability, where he put to use the giant killer moves on finishes. But the junior also battled down low against Collinsville’s side. His plus wingspan and quick hands were key parts of Young playing bigger his size, when it came to contesting shots and and doing some of the dirty work needed to help the Bombers advance.
Tying Denson for high point honors for the Bombers with 19, Henderson biggest point scored was his final one. With a few seconds left in a tied game, he was fouled on an inbound pass. The senior would hit the first free throw to break the tie and send the Bombers to the Class 5A semifinals. For the first 18 points he scored, it was a strong representation of Henderson’s overall game. Especially with his ability to get cooking off the dribble off the dribble. But he’ll need to improve his perimeter shooting, as he was credited as 2-8 from three in the box score.
The big man from Collsinville was an one man wrecking crew in the paint for the Cardinals with a 21 points, 15 rebound day. Brown is one of the harder workers players in the state, who seems to eat, breath and live for rebounding. He single handedly out rebounded Midwest City with a 15-14 margin, sparking his team to a 36-14 edge on the glass. While only officially credited with one block, his general presence often turned Midwest City into jump shooters. Brown finished his high school career strongly and will now head to Missouri S&T.